Container sealer feeder and safety device



March 27, 1951 v R. c. TALBOT 2,546,281

CONTAINER SEALER FEEDER AND SAFETY DEVICE Filed April 19, 194 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I n ,l 2J' MWF' 'mm1 i lum l y| l I i1min' 5; Hmllgl IMI :l

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42 44 Efz/l lill I March 27,1951 R. c. TALBO'T E 2,546,281

I CONTAINER SEALER FEEDER AND SAFETY DEVICE Filed April 19, 1946 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l .9] #f4 if Mechanism for stopconveyor in response I 27 i to circuf change Patented Mar. 27, 1951 CONTAINER SELER FEEDER AND SAFETY DEVICE ARichard C. Talbot, Joliet, Ill., assgnor to J. L. Ferguson Company, Joliet, Ill., `a. lcorporation of Illinois Application April'1'9., 1946, Serial No. 663,449

77 Claims. (Cl. 19E- 23) The present invention is embodied in what .is ordinarily referred to in the packaging trade .as a container sealer. The latter comprises a conveyor which carries containers (usually pasteboard or corrugated board), which have been. filled with :cans or similar small packages, through va zone where the top and/ or bottom flaps ofthe container haveglue applied thereto and are 'sealed into -closed position. It is not deemed necessary to describe the entire container sealer since the invention hereinafter described and claimed relates specically to a safety device for preventing the progression through the sealing zone :of a .faulty case `or the continued supply of cases or containers -to the sealing zone when alo,-`

normal :conditions ,arisa .Eiorts have heretofore been made to detect the presence of abnormal conditions or of a damaged container just previous to the presentation of unsealed cases or containers to the means which open the flaps, `apply glue thereto, vand then Aclose and seal said flaps. This has seemed the logical place to locate such detecting and disabling means. However., throughout the period during which this kind of container Sealers has been used (the broad patents on such .apparatus have now expired) continuous diiculties have been encountered because the detection of potential damage-eventuating conditions at the indicated point wasnot suiciently early to avoid the results of said irregularities. Inasmuch as the cardboard cases or containLrs are in most instances lled with .heavy .tin cans, any damaged cases or other irregularities which are ynot detected until lsuch cases Yor irregularities are :inv

the vicinity o'f ther Iflap-"opening and flap-gluing means lare -apt A.to result in spilling .the heavy cans out of vthe containers .and .into contact with the moving parts'of the container sealer. espite this continued annoyance and material damage (because ift didunotiseem. possible earlier .i Vdetect the presence..eitherwlofua misshapen or damaged container -or case) or the interferencewiththe Q normaloperation of the container sealer, the just referred Ato diiiculties have not, before the 'advent of :the presen-t invention, been satisfactorily overcome.

Finally, those Askilled in the art will appreciate that-oneofjthe majorreasons for detecting either a damaged case ror 3a case which is not properly positioned resides in the `fact that both the bottomv and top flaps of the case Aare opened as the case is fed through .the iiap 'glue-applying and nap-sealing zones.' It .is because of the incipientv` opening of .the :bottomilapslof `the container `that great care must be taken to guide the containersj correctly accurately into the sealing zone. This requirement initially necessitates the carefulv spacing of the cases as they are delivered to the container sealer conveying means.

The present invention lprovides a detector which operates suiliciently in advance of the location of the `nap-opening -means to stop all of the moving parts of the machine, including particularly the conveyor for moving the cases up to the flapgluing and closing zone, .before the approach of This .is accom plishzd by associating the `detector means with` the irregularity .to said means.

the -same means which spaces the containers prior to the entrance of the latter .into the {confi tainer sealer proper, i. e. prior to the engagement of the containers by the means which` moves them ythrough the 4sealin-g zone.

Accordingly, only so much of an ordinary com;

tainer sealer will be described as will be neces-- sary to enable one to come to a-rknowledge -of those portions of the sealer which precede the sealing of the container Anaps.

In the drawings,

Fig. .1 is a plan view of so .much of a container; sealer as is necessary to show the operation of the mechanism involved in the present *invene f tion.;

Fig.. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view fof a por-- tion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3- is an elevational view partially in section taken on the-line .3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevational sectional view taken y'oni thellille 4--4 of Fig. 2.;

Fig.. 5 is la partially diagrammatic View of the f machine elements with the casesvor containers being fed without :the and line) a-s it is pushed togards the input `end of the sealer conveyor means.

The case as it is pushed towards the :inlet end .of the sealer `(from right vvto left 'in 'the iigures fof" the drawing) is bounded by rai-1s 23 and 24 ibut'. is positively urged towards 1ai123 by Aa guide 25 thereby to cause one corner of the .case posi- 1 tively to contact against a stop '26. Said stop 2B prevents 4a case. .bearing therea'gainst irom1-being existence of irregularities;

progressed into the inlet end of the sealer and from being there engaged by the conveyor which carries cases through the sealer until a predetermined spacing of the delivered cases has be;n insured.

The cases are carried through the sealing zone of the conveyor by chains 21 and 28 having a plurality of nights 29 extending therebetween. The latter are adapted to be progressed upwardly and into the rear of a properly positioned case, thereby to carry such case through the sealing mechanism, there being a number of ilights 29 spaced at equal intervals on said chains 21 and 28.

The movement of the conveyor flights 29 is synchronized with the transverse movement of a case pusher member 30. The latter comprises a rectangular member adapted to be moved crosswise of the apparatus and of such general size and shape to engage the side of cases arrested by stop 25 and to push said cases transversely beyond (off of) the stop 26 and permit them to be carried forwardly to be ultimately engaged by the ilights 29. The case pusher member 3G is mounted on the inner end of reciprocatory member 3| from which latter a cam follower roller 32 depends. A cam track 33 is formed in the cylindrical surface of a rotary member 34 which latter is driven (by chain 28a) in timed relation to the chains 21 and 28 carrying the flights 29. The case pusher member support 3i reciprocates in a bearing channel in housing 35. The rotation of the member 34 causes the roller 32 and case pusher supporting member 3! to move the member 30 crosswise of the path of case travel. The dimensioning of the parts is such that the outward movement of the member 3E] pushes the case away from in front of stop 2E thereby'so releasing it that it can be carried into position by belt 22 to be engaged by the next iollowing flight 29.

When normal conditions prevail (see Figs. 2 and the cases or containers are so supplied by the joint action of the various conveyor rollers, the stop 26 and the action of pusher 39, that a space S exists between the front of the next container to be supplied to the conveyor and the just previously advanced container, i. e. between case C' (just being'engaged by a flight 29 for progression through the sealer) and case C (which has just been released by pusher 30 from stop 28 and is being fed toward the point where it will be picked up by a flight 29) If, however, some abnormality of the container or some disruption of the continuity of operation beyond the supply point occurs, then the container previously supplied. denoted C in Fig. 6, is not moved by the ilight which should engage the rear thereof. Under these conditions the-case is either pushed upwardly by said next following flight 29, or even if not pushed upwardly, remains in the position shown in Fig. 6. It is the latter positioning of the container under abnormal conditions which is availed of by the present invention to detect the existing abnormality and to stop the operation of the ma- `chine .before material damage results therefrom.

The indicated point where the case is not moved vonwardly is sufficiently in advance of the ilapopening and gluing mechanism as to insure the stoppage of the machine long before damage can be caused by the feeding up to the flap-opening zone of such damaged case;

Referring now to Fig. 6, case C is shown in the position it ,would occupy if some abnormality either of the case or of operation had prevented its forward feed. Remembering that the case is in such position under the last indicated conditions, the safety device of the present invention will now be described.

A Z bracket 40 is attached through a portion 4| thereof to the case pusher member 30, being carried by the latter to and fro therewith. An arm 42 is also part of said bracket and has a Microswitch 43 mounted thereupon, leads 44-44 connecting said switch with desirable operating switching instrumentalities whereby to stop the movement of the conveyor and its associating ap foldlng and gluing elements. A spring finger is mounted over a Microswitch plunger 4S. A feeler roller 41 is mounted on the free end of the spring arm 45.

As the case pusher member 30 is moved across the path of the cases to free the arrested case from in front of the stop 26 and permit it to be carried by the belt 22 forwardly into Vdelivery position to the case sealer conveyor, the bracket 4E) with the feeler roller 47 is likewise moved into the path of the cases. When no abnormalities of case structure or feeding procedure exist, the cases are so spaced (see Fig. 5) as they are thus fed that the roller 4l moves into the space between the cases. In short, the immediately preceding case has already been contacted by its proper propelling ight 29, wherefrom the lViicroswitch is not operated.

However, when ani7 one of the hereinbefore referred to abnormalities does exist (see Fig. 6) the feeler roller 4i is so positioned, as the bracket 4i] moves with pusher 3B, that in its innermost position it will contact against the case which will necessarily be in the position indicated because of the existence of said abnormalities. rI'hereupon the spring arm 45 is forced towards the Microswitch operating button 45 with consequent operation of said Microswitch 43. rI'hereupon the switching instrumentalities connected to 43 by leads 44 operate to stop the machine substantially immediately (see schematic showing of mechanism for this latter purpose-illustrated for convenience only in connection with Fig. 5)l and eliminate the possibility that the damaged or improperly positioned case (against which the roller 41 has contacted) will be further progressed into the sealer conveyor. Thus the possibility of damage is detected sufficiently before the abnormality reaches the flap folding and gluing mechanism to insure that the latter will not be affected by said abnormality.

While the detector means has here been shown as an electrical mechanism, i. e. as including a Microswitch feeler arm, equivalent results may be accomplished by means of a toggle switch or a mechanical feeler and linkage connections. The essential requirement is that the ieeler mechanism shall comprise means responsive to the presence of a case in the indicated space which is otherwise free to accommodate the feeler mechan sm without aiectingthe same. In other words, the mechanism must be so associated with the timing device for properly feeding the cases to the inlet end of the sealer conveyor (which includes the hereinbefore spacing thereof as indicated) that the detector is synchronized with said timing to eventuate the desired result.

It is not intended that the description hereto- Y fore given of the invention and/ or the showing thereof set forth in the drawings is limiting in any respect of the monopoly claimed by applicant. It .is on the contrary intended that all claims hereinafter allowed, whether made initially or to be added (assuming that they are properly supportable by the drawings and/or specification and/or claims originally made herein) shall be the measure of the scope of the invention herein set forth.

Accordingly, and with the foregoing in mind,

what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is (remembering that claims broader than those now included may hereafter be found properly includable herein) l. A container sealer comprising a sealing zone, means for feeding or carrying containers through 'said zone, means for insuring proper spacing of ycontainers prior to their entry into said zone, and

means movable with said spacing means to respond to the del very of a damaged container to Kthe spacing point or to the incorrect delivery of a container to said spacing point, the latter means operating to render the container feeding mechanism inoperative upon the occurrence of an abnormal condition and comprising feeler means located adjacent said zone and extendable thereinto between properly spaced containers to detect improperly spaced containers occupying the space otherwise free to receive said feeler means. 2. A container sealer comprising a sealing zone, means for feeding or carrying containers through said zone, means for insuring proper spacing of containers prior to their entry into said zone, and means movable with said spacing means to respond to the delivery of a damaged container to the spacing point or to the incorrect delivery of a container to said spacing point, the latter means operating to render the container feedingmechanism inoperative upon the occurrence of an abnormal condition, said spacing means comprising a, holding member positionable between consecutively fed containers and said latter means comprising a feeler mechanism associated with said spacing means to detect abnormalities in connection with about-to-be spaced containers or the progress thereof.

3. A container sealer comprising a sealing zone, means for feeding or carrying containers through said Zone, means for insuring proper spacing of containers prior to their entry into said zone, and means movable with said spacing means to respond to the delivery of a damaged container to the spacing point or to the incorrect delivery of a container to said spacing point, the latter means operating to render the container feeding mechanism inoperative upon the occurrence of an abnormal condition, said spacing means comprising a holding member pos-itionable between consecutively fed containers and a container pusher for freeing said containers from said holding member, the container freeing movement of said pusher being synchronized With the container feeding means normally to separate consecutively delivered containers by a predetermined space, and said latter means comprising a feeler mechanism associatd with said spacing means to detect abnormalities in connection with about-to-be spaced containers or the progress thereof, said predetermined case spacing not existing when said abnormalities occur and said feeler mechanism then contacting an abnormally positioned case for detecting purposes.

4. A case or container sealer comprising a flapsealingzone, means for feeding or carrying cases with unsealed naps through said zone, means for supplying said cases to said carrying means, a

stop for engaging the thus suppled cases prior to their delivery to the feeding means, pusher means for freeing said cases from said stop, detecting means movable with said pusher and into contact with an abnormally positioned case, and means operated by said detecting means for disabling said sealer mechanism.

5. A case or container sealer comprising a flapsealing zone, means for feeding or carrying cases with unsealed flaps through said zone, means for supplying said cases to said carrying means, a. stop for engaging the thus supplied cases prior to their delivery to the feeding means, pusher means for freeing said cases from said stop, a bracket attached to said pusher, abnormally-positionedcase detecting means mounted on said bracket, and operating means to insure stoppage of said case feeding means when said detecting means responds to an abnormally positioned case.

6. A case or container sealer comprising a flapsealing zone, means for feeding or carrying cases with unsealed flaps through said zone, means for supplying said cases to said carrying means, a stop for engaging the thus supplied cases prior to their delivery to the feeding means, pusher means for freeing said cases from said stop movable athwart said case delivery means and in synchronism with said case feeding means to push cases sidewise out of engagement with said stop after the carrying means have picked up and so moved the immediately preceding case that a predetermined interval is normally established between succeeding cases, and detecting means similarly movable crosswise of the case movement path, said detecting means being normally unimpeded in movement by reason of entry into said normal case interval, and means operative under abnormal conditions to cause cases to occupy said interval and contact said detector means.

'7. A case or container sealer comprising a flapsealing zone; means for feeding or carrying cases with unsealed flaps through said zone, means for supplying said cases to said carrying means, a stop for engaging the thus supplied ce ses prior to their deliv-ery to the feeding means, pusher means for freeing said cases from said stop movable athwart said case delivery means in synchronism with the case feeding means to push cases sidewise out of engagement with said stop after the carrying means have picked up and so moved the immediately preceding case that a predetermined interval normally exists between succeeding cases, a Z bracket mounted by one of its arms on said pusher, and a detector mechanism including an engageable feeler mounted on the other arm of said Z bracket, said feeler being projected into said normally open case interval upon each casefreeing movement of said pusher.

RICHARD C. TALBOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

